Torture Training Little Miss Ziva
by Lunate Lover
Summary: A Mossad Officer shows up at NCIS headquarters wanting to talk to Ziva. This unwanted visitor brings disturbing truths about Ziva's Mossad training to light. What if it's not all in the past? Multi-chap, Rated M difficult themes in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

_So after a long break from writing here's something that came into my head. Will be a multi chapter, so let me know what you think. WARNING later chapters may contain difficult subjects, rated M! _

The bullpen was buzzing with quiet productivity, with no new cases it was back to the boring lull of never ending paperwork. Gibbs was at his desk sipping his coffee, McGee seemed to be embroiled in whatever was on his computer screen and Tony was loudly eating his breakfast as usual. Ziva was sat at her desk completing possibly the most mind-numbing part of her job; sorting and filing all the witness reports and statements from their last case ready to be sent off. To her relief, half an hour later she violently pushed the stapler through the last stack on her desk and shoved it into the box with all the others.

"We'll have to put that stapler in witness protection the way you've been treating it all morning" droned Tony, looking smugly over his computer screen at Ziva.

"Really Tony" she replied with equal sarcasm "Better a staple then say, a paperclip yes?"

Letting out a low chuckle Tony tipped his head to the side and smiled "You got me there Ziva"

Gibbs put a stop their exchange as he loudly dropped his empty coffee cup into the bin by Ziva's desk "Finished your paper work yet David?"

"Yes Gibbs, all done and…" She paused for a moment with a searching look then continued with a smile "Dusted!"

Rolling his eyes, although clearly amused Gibbs replied "Good, it seems we have a visitor, and I might need your help on this one…"

Ziva almost jumped out of her chair with enthusiasm "Anything to get away from this desk, who is it?" As Gibbs opened his mouth to reply he was interrupted by Tony.

"No fair, why does Ziva get a special job? I've finished my paperwork too!"

"Quiet down DiNozzo, I have a special job in mind for you too" Gibbs said with a smile, Tony rose from his seat looking triumphant.

"Cool, what is it?"

"I noticed that some of the bags in the evidence locker aren't properly labelled, thanks for volunteering DiNozzo"

Tony sat back down with a thump. He sighed loudly. McGee, who had been quiet all morning broke out into laughter as Ziva and Gibbs strode towards the elevator.

Once the elevator doors had slid closed Gibbs wasted no time in flicking the stop switch and turning to Ziva with a look of apprehension.

"W-what is it Gibbs?" Ziva asked confused.

"I just wanted to warn you, the man who has come to talk to us is a Mossad officer, and he asked for you. He has not given me any more information, other than it is urgent. Do you know what this might be about?"

Ziva looked at him blankly; it was very unusual that a Mossad officer would come to NCIS headquarters instead of contacting them via M-TAC. In fact the last time an old Mossad 'friend' came to pay her a visit it did not end well at all, she looked Gibbs and said with all honesty "I do not know why anyone from Mossad would come here, I don't talk to anyone from back home anymore, no one that has anything to do with Mossad anyway, only my father."

"I thought that might be the case, well it certainly isn't Eli, his name is Officer Achim Efraim" Gibbs looked expectantly at Ziva and he didn't have to wait for any vocal affirmation that Ziva knew this man. The look on her face, although quickly hidden told Gibbs that she and this man were most likely not friends.

"_Achim?_ I don't know what possible reason that man would have to come here, least of all to see me…"

"Who is this man to you Ziver?" He asked with quiet suspicion.

"He trains Mossad officers; or he used to. He taught me since the age of eight, I learnt almost everything I know from him. But I have not seen him since I turned 16."

"Why do I get the impression that you would not welcome seeing him again? Anything I need to know David?"

"Hmm, I rather hoped I would never have to see him again" Ziva said gently, with a vague smile she continued "But still, he is here and I suppose we must go and see why he has come. Don't worry about me Gibbs, I can handle myself"

Giving her a smile that crept to the edge of his tired eyes Gibbs flicked the stop switch back on, he leaned slightly towards her and said stoically "I never doubted that for one second."

Gibbs entered interrogation room 1, and after a steadying breath he was closely followed by Ziva.

A sharply dressed man with tanned skin and short black hair was stood facing away from them when they entered, Gibbs immediately settled himself onto one of the chairs, looking calm but observing the man closely. Officer Efraim did not turn around until Ziva spoke.

"Shalom Achim."

Upon hearing Ziva's voice, Achim did indeed turn around. A tall man, slim but clearly physically powerful. He had strong features and looked to be in his mid to late forties.

"Ahhhhh little Zivalah. My best student, my how you've grown… Become quite the little woman haven't we?" He spoke wistfully.

Ziva bit her words out, agitated by his comments "What is it that you came for Achim? I assume you're here on official business?"

Officer Efraim pulled out a chair and sat comfortably, ignoring the presence of Gibbs entirely he smiled up at Ziva.

"Official business, yes." He said with a shrug "But personal also… Come now Ziva, sit. We have much to catch up on" He motioned to the chair next to him but Ziva stood resolutely with her arms across her chest looking defiant. Achim tutted "My, such coldness and from one of my own, this I did not expect, not from you my little protégé."

"I am not your protégé any more" Ziva spat angrily.

"Yes, You have made that quite clear, although you've not lost any of your fire I see…"

After having watched this exchange silently, Gibbs now lent forward across the table into Achim's space and said sternly. "So what, Officer Efraim is it that you have come to tell us so urgently?"

Achim's demeanour changed instantly as he took his eyes off Ziva and turned them onto Gibbs, his face split into a wide grin. "And you must be the formidable Agent Gibbs" He extended his hand across the table "I have heard much about you" Gibbs took Achim's hand and with a firmer hold than necessary shook it.

"And yet regrettably I have heard nothing of you" Gibbs retorted unemotionally.

Realising that Gibbs clearly taken a disliking to him, Achim continued in a more clipped fashion. "Yes, well I am as you say on official business, the Director has sent me to keep a close eye on a possible terrorist cell we have been monitoring, although no action is to be taken immediately the Director thought it would be prudent to make you aware. I will be staying locally for the foreseeable future and I hope we can count on your co-operation during this time."

Gibbs studied the man for a brief moment, sizing him up. "If you want a team on this I will need clearance from the Director of NCIS and all of the intel you have."

"But of course, like I say I do not believe action will be imminent but it does not harm to be prepared. I have all the relevant information with me and the Director has given me strict instructions to only contact him via M-TAC, he will be available to discuss the details this afternoon. Once your Director has given permission of course."

Ziva who was still standing asked impatiently "But why didn't the Director contact NCIS to discuss it before you arrived on our doorstep?"

"Ah, your mind is still as sharp as it was… As I'm sure Agent Gibbs here is aware, there has been no communications via satellite or internet this week due to a, what is it you American's say… A bug in the system yes? It has only come back into use within" Achim looked at his watch "the last several hours".

Ziva didn't get the time to decide whether she was satisfied with his answer, Gibbs was already out of his seat and escorting Achim to the door to go and talk to Director Vance. Achim stopped on his way past, and with an altogether too friendly smile he grasped Ziva's arm, leaned in slightly and said softly "I'm sure we'll be seeing each other again very soon, for a little catch up…" Leaning back out he gave her arm an uncomfortably tight squeeze before letting it go "Won't that be nice Miss David?"

Ziva was left stood quite shocked, and not at all enjoying the feelings that had come flooding back with this man. He was not her superior anymore she reminded herself, he has no authority here. With a deep breath Ziva straightened up and marched back to the bullpen determined to stay focused.

_Thanks for readin'! :)_


	2. Chapter 2

_Hey! So I will try to update quite frequently, I'm using this story as something to work on when I'm not writing my dissertation… This is a bit of a filler chapter, but things will start to get a bit crazy and emotional in chapter three! Also a reminder that this story is M rated and those difficult subjects I've been chatting about will start to appear in the next chapter, you have been warned my friends! Enjoy! _

After the incident in interrogation room that morning Ziva hadn't had much time to think about Achim and his unannounced arrival. When she'd returned to the bullpen it had been chaos. The first thing she saw when getting out of the lift was Gibbs sweeping down the staircase from the Directors office bellowing his usual instruction of "Grab your gear!"

Everyone sprang into action immediately as Gibbs rattled off the other details, grabbing her bag from underneath her desk Ziva stood waiting for the boss's next instructions, and Gibbs being as efficient as ever, she didn't need to wait long.

"DiNozzo, David. Marine found early this morning beaten to a pulp at the south dockyard. Dead as of…" Gibbs rolled up his sleeve and glanced at his watch "47 minutes ago, which makes it our business now. I want you both at the scene, gas the truck up and go I'll send you the location on the way. Bag and tag, photos, the lot. McGee with me, we have a hospital visit to make."

A resounding chorus of "Yes boss" came in cannon from around the bullpen, Tony and Ziva headed straight to the crime scene and worked with diligence. They finished at the scene in record time, there's nothing like a few days of paperwork to light a fire under a field agent.

When Tony and Ziva returned to NCIS it was early evening, they distributed the evidence to the relevant people and were finishing uploading the crime scene photos when Gibbs came in for de-briefing. After everyone had shared their findings, it was finally time to head home. As everyone was buzzing about getting ready to leave Gibbs spoke again.

"Before you all leave, I would like to introduce you to Mossad Officer Achim Efraim." Achim gave a charming smile, predictably in Ziva's direction. "He has come to work with us on intel of a possible terrorist cell in DC, I have sent you all the case notes and I want all of you to review them in the next few days…Vance's orders." With that he strode out of the bullpen leaving Achim behind. Ziva grabbed her stuff and headed to the elevator double time, however she was not quick enough and Efraim caught up with her. And in a sickly sweet voice he said;

"Come little Ziva, I am taking you for dinner" his arm was proffered in Ziva's direction, she immediately stepped away from him and very aware that Tony and McGee were both watching with interest she replied bluntly,

"Not tonight Achim, I am busy." With that she turned swiftly and headed down the staircase, not liking the idea that he might follow her into the elevator. By the time she had pounded her frustrations out on the many flights of stairs down to the parking garage Ziva was just about ready to get to bed. Walking to her car she heard the elevator doors open and fast footsteps coming up behind her, although her hand twitched towards her knife it didn't take her long to recognise that it was the familiar sound of Tony's expensive Italian shoes hitting the tarmac, the thought calming her instantly.

"Fancy seeing you here Ziiiiva" he elongated her name which was equally endearing as it was annoying, but it usually meant that he wanted something.

"What is it that you want Tony?"

"I was just wondering what the deal is with you and Officer tall dark and handsome? I sense you have history" He had been wondering who the mysterious visitor was and after watching their little exchange by the elevator he was more than intrigued. Tony was not one to waste an opportunity to wind Ziva up a little.

The smile dropped from Ziva's face as she shoved her back pack into the back seat and let out a frustrated sigh.

"Because, I thought you went for the older man Zi" Tony continued in a teasing tone "He was right up your street and he offered to wine and dine you, what more could you want in a man?" Tony smiled mischievously at Ziva, expecting to see a sarcastic look and perhaps some slight embarrassment. Instead he found a very serious and tired looking scowl upon her face.

"As funny as you think you're being Tony, I am really not in the mood right now" Slamming the car door shut, leaving Tony staring at her through the window feeling like he had clearly missed something. Ziva had not started the engine yet, she was sat looking out with her hands painfully clasped to the steering wheel, after a moment she dropped her head letting out a breath and rolled down her window.

"Look Tony, I'm sorry I snapped at you, I just really need to go home, it's been a long day."

"Sure Ziva" Tony tried not to sound concerned "But if you need anything, you know, just give me a text" After a small smile Tony disappeared to find his car. Ziva turned on the ignition and sped away in her usual brake neck style.

Ziva steeled herself for the night ahead, she was not so ignorant to believe that she would be able to go home and get to bed like she so desperately wanted. When Achim said they'd be seeing each other again soon she had no doubt that he meant it. Always be prepared for an ambush, she hadn't forgotten everything from her Mossad days. He would come, she was sure of it. And she'd be ready.

_Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave feedback as I'm always looking to improve! _


	3. Chapter 3

_Me again, goodness three chapters in three days, who would have thought it! The next one might take a few days as I am knee deep in uni work this week! _

_Reminder: Rating M, upsetting themes in this chapter and most likely the next few. Enjoy!_

Ziva arrived home in record time; she crept up to the door of her apartment and studied it closely, and silently slid the key into the lock. She winced slightly as it clicked open, but without a beat she immediately pushed the coats on the hooks by the door aside and retrieved her personal weapons. She had the safe box installed right inside the door for times just like these, and with weapons loaded and hidden Ziva proceeded into the hallway. Nothing looked out of place when she entered the living room, the same story when she glanced at the adjoined kitchen. But she was not fooled. With all the courage she could muster Ziva threw out her arms in frustration.

"What is it that you want from me Achim?"

A low chuckle could be heard as Achim appeared around the corner; he had been in her bedroom. The thought of that man in her most personal space made her shudder; it also made her terribly, terribly angry.

He walked into the room with his arms in the air, wearing the disarming smile that Ziva known from an early age and had come to despise.

"Always so suspicious Ziva, relax. I just want to talk to you, catch up with an old friend… You have built quite a life for yourself here in America. Tell me, do you miss home much?" He looked so at ease, he had all day. He knew how uncomfortable he had made her feel, and he was enjoying it.

With a burst of frustration Ziva rounded on him, shouting across the living room furniture "You have been trying your hardest to threaten and intimidate me, now you break into my apartment? That does not sound like the beginnings of a conversation between old friends does it?" She was indeed feeling threatened and intimidated but she had to stay in control.

"So hostile, little Ziva. Come now I have known you since you were a babe, I held you not long after you were born. You cannot deny that I helped mould you before you could even walk or talk." Achim started advancing towards her slowly; quite soon he would be invading her personal space.

Ziva's hand once again twitched, but this time in the direction of the gun that was hidden in the small of her back, however her hand was stilled by Achim's voice.

"Now don't go doing anything silly Ziva, you forget I trained you, when it comes to combat I can predict your every move. I know how you fight."

Ziva knew how true his words were, that did not mean she wasn't going to take him on but she was becoming very aware of the dread that was starting to settle in. "Did Mossad send you to kill me?"

With a laugh he motioned his hand as if her question was ridiculous and stupid. "Think rationally, why would Mossad want you dead? If I killed you now we both know that your team would gun for me, now that wouldn't be good for inter-agency relationships now, would it?" He was still moving towards her, she felt out of control of the situation. Thinking on her feet, she decided that the best thing to do for now would be to humour him, until she could contact someone or find an alternative resolution.

With a forced smile Ziva said innocently "Yes, I see that. How silly of me, well if you're not going anywhere then take a seat… Would you like a drink?" His expression didn't change and he was taking too long to reply, this could either go one of two ways so she readied herself for an attack. However, after a long moment or at least it felt that way, his mouth split into a wide grin. Ziva felt a little relieved; if he had wanted her dead she would not still be alive at this moment offering him a drink. But the amount of bad blood between the pair would not be washed away with a few cups of tea, so staying on the upmost alert Ziva went into the kitchen fully aware that he was watching her, she could feel his eyes warming her skin. She brought the glasses in and placed them on the coffee table, sitting as far away as possible from Achim. He began to reminisce about her childhood, which was frankly somewhere she did not want him to go, but she kept one ear open whilst she was thinking of a way out.

Fortuitously she heard her phone go off. "Excuse me Achim, I just need to check my phone, it might be work. You know what it's like" Not trusting him to be alone she came straight back and opened the message as she was sitting back down, it was from Tony. However she did not fail to notice that in her absence Achim had moved slightly closer to where she was sitting. Alarm bells started ringing at this, so without really reading the message Tony had sent, she typed a quick reply:

'_Efraim broke in don't want to be alone with him help'_

Whilst her attention had been on her phone Achim had moved closer still and when she turned back to him his hand was reaching out to touch her knee, without thinking Ziva reacted immediately by twisting and forcing his wrist away, probably spraining it. Anger flashed in his eyes as he looked from her to his wrist. She stood up and backed away from him, he was quick to follow moving towards her aggressively.

"How dare you! All I wanted to do was ask for forgiveness Ziva! I cared for you, all I wanted to do was look after you, I loved you like my own Ziva!"

"Loved me? Look after me? You never did a very good job at that did you?"

"You seem to forget that I did not do anything to you!" Their shouting match continued, all the while he was advancing on her, but Ziva became too enraged to notice.

"But you didn't stop them Achim. I _trusted_ you, I screamed for your help but you didn't move! I was sixteen!" The raw emotion in her voice was coming through but it didn't seem to stop him.

Achim's body closed around hers, his hands preventing her from moving "If only you would just let me prove how much I care for you, my little Zivalah" He whispered, bending down and starting to kiss Ziva's neck, she was desperately trying to get away from him. Achim was undoubtedly stronger than her, and despite delivering a few good kicks, it was not enough to stop his assault. The feel of being touched against her will brought back some very real, tangible memories. As his attack escalated she struggled to continue fighting and was almost tempted to give up. Her tank top was the first to go, swiftly followed by her precious weapons she felt sick when he unbuttoned her trousers and his hands roamed sadistically all over her, as he reached between her legs Ziva began to shut off inside. It had become too much, all of her senses were filled with him and she couldn't believe that she was letting him do it. But couldn't seem to muster the strength to stop him. Somewhere in her catatonic state she could hear her phone ringing repeatedly in the distance, she was snapped out of her haze when she felt her cargo pants being violently tugged down to her ankles and she felt the cool air against her legs, knowing what was coming next.

Then she realised with a jolt…

His hands were no longer on her, too occupied with stripping her he had foolishly left her unbound. Before the opportunity could pass she used the only weapon he had not stripped her of, her fists. One good hit to the jaw sent him reeling in shock, not for long but it was long enough for her to retrieve her sidearm that had been carelessly discarded with her clothes. Soon she was pointing right at him, he stayed kneeled on the floor not daring to move.

It did not take Achim long to realise that he no longer had the upper hand.

"Now Ziva, it was just a misunderstanding, I thought you wanted it!" He tried to reason in desperation.

This made Ziva see red, she advanced towards him gun still pointed at his chest, the safety off and her finger on the trigger. "You make me sick, you are no different to those men, you are the same!" Her breathing was ragged and she was struggling once again to keep control, although this time it was her anger, not her fear. She had to stop and think for a moment, things were happening so fast and she could still hear the incessant ringing of her phone somewhere.

Achim then said quietly "I had orders Ziva"

"Orders? Orders from who?" Came her confused and angry reply.

"The Director Ziva, orders from the Director." Efraim continued in a heavy voice "It was for your own good, he was insistent that it would only make you stronger, otherwise I would never have let them Ziva, you know that…"

"STOP, don't you dare try and get out of it by blaming my farther, I don't believe you!" The shock and hysteria was starting to overwhelm Ziva, something Achim could see and tried to pray upon.

"Oh, but I know deep down you do believe me, and that's what hurts the most isn't little one… Put the gun down and we can talk about it…" Achim started to stand from his position slowly.

Through the course of these revelations Ziva's gun arm had drooped with her shock and was now pointing more towards her feet than at Achim. Seeing his chance he ran at Ziva to disarm her.

Wrong move, with the amount of adrenaline in her system, the shock and pain that had come with his attack and the pure rage burning through her body.

His attempt had ended with three bullets in his chest. Dead.

Everything went silent.

But that fucking phone was still ringing.

She couldn't take the gun off of him, sometime sooner or later, probably sooner but she couldn't tell, Tony burst through the door.

"Ziva!" He shouted on entering her apartment, but she couldn't yet force herself to reply. He came jogging round the corner with his gun drawn, taking in the scene before him with complete shock. He didn't fail to notice Ziva's lack of clothes and the fact that she was visibly shaking and seemed to be in complete shock, knowing this was going to be a delicate process he acted quickly, holstering his sidearm and walking gently up to Ziva.

"Hey, it's okay, he's not going to hurt you now, I'm here…Zi?" When he got no response he softly prised the gun from her tightly clasped hands, put the safety on and pocketed it. At the sudden loss of her gun Ziva's eyes snapped to Tony's, he watched her senses slowly returning to her. Shock, anger, but most of all she looked scared, like a vulnerable little girl. She was still shaking so Tony pulled the throw off the couch and wrapped it around Ziva's partially naked form; he left his arms around her and pulled her into his chest. Then the tears came. Looking at the body over Ziva's shoulder he rubbed her back and reached for his phone.

"I think we better call Gibbs to help with this one…"

TBC

_Thanks for reading! :)_


	4. Chapter 4

_Sorry it's taken me a few days, my degree got in the way! Difficult themes continued in this chapter! Enjoy :) _

Gibbs was storming through Ziva's apartment shouting orders as he went, there were a multitude of people sweeping the scene. He had sent Ziva back to the Navy Yard with Tony to ensure her safety, not wanting to chance leaving her alone until they had established that there was no longer any threat. Officer Efraim's body was being bagged up to be sent back to the lab where Ducky would meet it, Gibbs wanted to get everything done quickly and efficiency. He did not want Ziva coming back to this carnage. While the body was being loaded onto a stretcher Gibbs' phone started to ring, he answered it with a gruff "What d'ya want?"

"Hey boss, it's me Urm, just wondering when you're heading back?"

"Soon DiNozzo, why?"

"It's just that Ziva's acting a bit strange –"

Gibbs interrupted sharply "No shit Tony, you would be too if you'd been through what she has tonight. Has McGee sent the request for information to Mossad?"

"That's exactly the point boss, she was fine until Mc loud mouth announced Mossad's full co-operation, they say that no kind of attack was sanctioned. They're sending over everything they have on him, Achim was purely on a fact finding mission –"

"So we have to assume he had an ulterior motive"

"Well that was our conclusion, yes. But the point is, going by Ziva's reaction, whatever information they're sending. She does not want us to know"

Gibbs was silent for a few seconds, "I'm on my way, just try and keep her calm for everyone's sakes." Cutting off the call Gibbs pocketed his phone and began giving his final instructions before leaving for NCIS.

Back at headquarters Tony had managed to get Ziva into the break room, she was now wearing his Ohio State hoodie and some sweats from his go bag. He had always imagined that she would look cute wearing his clothes, something that he'd thought about more than he probably should have.

Ziva was pacing violently up and down the small room while Tony was making them both a drink in the vein hope that it might distract her. "Would you like some coffee Zi?" He asked with slight trepidation.

"No I don't want coffee. I want to get out of your stupid clothes and have a shower." She replied shortly.

Tony abandoned the kettle and walked over to Ziva, putting his hands gently on her arms he brought her continuous pacing to a stop. "Zi, I'm sorry, but you know you can't shower until Ducky's swabbed for DNA and checked you over. If you don't want to wait the offer of taking you to the hospital is still there"

"No, I'm not going to the hospital I'm fine." She insisted, then added in a quieter tone "I do not see why Ducky needs DNA Tony… Achim didn't get that far, I shot him before he could. Even if he did he's dead, so what's the point?"

"I know it's hard, but it's boss' orders, he wants this one done by the book, you killed someone. Now we know, and you know that it was completely justified, we just have to prove that to everyone else, beyond any doubt. Because I am not having you in prison and I am definitely not having a new partner, you got that sweet cheeks?"

"Yeah, I got it." Ziva tried a small smile, but she couldn't deny the anger that was still coursing through her.

Having made this small brake though, Tony thought he would try his luck at getting her to open up about her and Officer phycho's history, and why she seemed to be so secretive about it all. "Soooooo Zi, are you sure you're alright, you don't want to talk about anything? It might help you know…"

Ziva sighed and landed heavily on the sofa "I don't really want to talk about it Tony, it's all in the past and I'd rather just leave it there to be forgotten."

"And I'm going to take a wild guess and say that whatever Mossad are sending over is not going to be kept in the past?"

Before she could answer McGee shuffled in looking apologetic "urm, boss is back, he said that Ducky is ready to examine you now Ziva if you want to go down to autopsy…"

Taking pity on him she gave a small smile and replied quietly "Thank you Tim" and looking slightly relieved he shuffled out again.

"You want me to go with you?"

"No…Thank you, this is not my first rodeo as you would say" and with that Ziva resolutely stood and with her chin up defiantly she exited the brake room.

Tony remained there for a moment, pondering what she meant by this not being her 'first rodeo', he didn't want to think too deeply into the implications of that comment. Luckily for him he wasn't left to his thoughts for too long before being summoned back to the bullpen.

The team, minus Ziva were squirrelling away on their different tasks, Tony sat down at his desk feeling at a loss, he was trying to pull himself together knowing that it would drive him mad if he had to work this case. While he was stewing in his frustration a cup of steaming coffee was placed right under his nose, looking up he saw Gibbs. "Thanks boss…"

"You alright DiNozzo?"

"I'm good boss, just worried about Ziva and pissed off that I wasn't the one to kill the bastard"

Without saying another word Gibbs gave a swift slap to the back of Tony's head "We're all angry, get over it, you need to help Ziva now. Drink your coffee and get back to work"

Before Tony had time to drain his coffee cup McGee waved them over. "Boss, I've just had all the files sent over from Mossad, I'm decrypting them – it shouldn't take long"

"Good" Gibbs said heavily, casting a glance at his two nervous looking younger agents and added "You need to look at this material objectively, it's all evidence in a case. If you don't think you can handle it then you don't have to stay."

McGee looked up from his monitor and replied confidently "I'm in" They both turned to Tony expectantly, after taking a deep breath he nodded.

"Me too, I'm in boss."

"Well then McGee, what have we got?"

"Urm, there's not much here, just a bunch of old files and reports…"

"Put 'em on the plasma McGee"

What came up on the screen were various photocopies of tattered old looking documents

"They're copies of Ziva's old training regimes…Wait, what year is this; these are over 15 years old"

"She would have been eight McGee, that's what she told me the day Efraim got here. He was responsible for her training until she got to sixteen."

"Geez, they sure do start them early…"

They continued to flick through many documents that followed Ziva's various training plans through her early youth, but there didn't seem to be anything giving them any insight into Efraim, it just felt like they were trespassing into Ziva's childhood.

They started to give up hope of finding anything of value when McGee's computer bleeped, "Well, that's the last file decrypted…" He opened it and what flashed onto the plasma was very different to what had come before. "More documents, but we have picture and video files too"

Enlarging the document they read the in silence, and the atmosphere became thick:

**Subject: Z. David**

**Age: 15**

**Week: 40 / 52**

**Exercise: Interrogation resistance**

**Method: Torture **

Gibbs took a breath "Play the Video's" with a sobering look he turned to both agents "And prepare yourself" 

A grainy picture appeared on the screen, it was bad quality and quite dark. The only thing that was visible was a small figure bound to a chair. A number of men came into the room, and started to shout Hebrew at the figure, which if the documentation was correct was a 15 year old Ziva. The events that began to unfold were horrific, all three men had trouble keeping their eyes on the screen.

There were three men holding her down now, and one man stood watching.

Tony couldn't decide which was worse, although now he understood what Ziva meant by it not being her first rodeo. He wished he didn't.

Then the screaming began.

McGee's finger was hovering over the mouse, hoping that Gibbs would instruct him to stop the video, although no such order came.

The screaming continued, there was just a mess of shapes and shadows on the screen and silence in the bullpen.

Then the elevator dinged and the doors slid open, looking back they saw none other than Ziva herself, McGee was quick to stop the video, but she had already seen and already heard.

_Thanks for reading TBC! _


	5. Chapter 5

_Then the elevator dinged and the doors slid open, looking back they saw none other than Ziva herself, McGee was quick to stop the video, but she had already seen and already heard. _

The moment seemed to drag on and the oppressive silence started to grate on Tony, he looked to McGee who was hiding behind his computer, pretending that he didn't exist. Turning his head he then looked at Gibbs whose eyes were still burning a hole into the screen, until he flicked them towards Tony in encouragement. Realising that he was being left to approach this situation somewhat alone he opened his mouth, took a breath and turned back to the elevator.

To his surprise, before he could get a word out Ziva held a hand up as if to silence him and started walking towards them. She came to a stop between Gibbs and Tony, without giving any eye contact she faced the plasma with her arms crossed and took a breath.

"Press play McGee."

McGee, who thought perhaps Ziva hadn't noticed him was dumb struck by what had come out of her mouth. The look on Tony's face confirmed that he was feeling much the same, after a few seconds McGee cleared his throat and said hesitantly. "Uhh, Boss?"

Gibbs silently surveyed Ziva out of the corner of his eye. "Play the video McGee" Came his reply, as if he couldn't understand why McGee was tentative. Tony's jaw nearly hit the floor, he couldn't believe what Gibbs wasn't going to let her watch it?

McGee, whose eyebrows were almost joining with his hairline sheepishly brought the video back up and regretfully pressed play.

Screams once again echoed around the bullpen, the image turned to shifting shadows and the hints of flesh visible were enough to make two of the three grown men avert their eyes. Tony was ashamed that he had to look away, as much as he wanted to watch he could not bring himself to. He had wished for a long time that he could share in her darkest secrets, to understand her fully and try to lighten the burden. But now he was confronted with the stuff of his worst nightmares, selfishly he craved ignorance once more.

He looked to Ziva, who on the surface looked largely unaffected by what she was seeing. But Tony could see the continual pulsing of her jaw and the way that the muscles at the corners of her eyes were twitching, subtle indicators she couldn't, or wasn't controlling. Without putting too much thought into it, Tony reached out and placed his hand at the small of her back trying to give her some silent support. The only reaction Ziva gave was an almost imperceptible hitch of breath as the shadows continued to undulate.

After some time and with some determination Tony forced his eyes back onto the screen where a fifteen year old Ziva had now curled into the foetal position. Now they were no longer stood together Tony could count that there were five or so men standing around inspecting her; one of them began talking in Hebrew. Tony was flooded with relief as he saw the men who had been attacking her disperse and leave the room, it was over. He thought, until the man who he had forgotten about lingering in the corner watching walked over and pulled Ziva to her feet, taking her by the shoulders he said a few words and kissed her on the cheek. He then set her back down on the chair, tied her to it once again and then left the room. The video cut off, leaving the screen silent, flickering white noise.

Gibbs was the first to speak "Was that Efraim at the end? The one who tied you back up?"

"Yes." Replied Ziva, who spoke with such conviction, it was like it had nothing to do with her.

"What was it that he said to you?" He asked, in a softer voice than his usual one. He waited a few moments before, still staring at the screen Ziva answered him.

"Don't scream tomorrow, make your father proud." And with a detached kind of shame she walked back to her desk and began her paperwork.

Tony was starting to get concerned. He had seen Ziva display almost every emotion; enraged, joyful, he had even seen tears on a few occasions. But never had he seen her so _un_emotional. She was acting so far removed from the whole situation that it was scaring him; he was desperate to know how she was truly feeling. So when Gibbs instructed him to accompany her back to her apartment and make sure she was okay, he saw his opportunity.

The car ride back was largely silent, they had not talked really since their conversation in the brake room some time earlier. The first words exchanged were predictably when they reached Ziva's front door.

"You don't have to come in Tony, I'll be fine"

"Thing with that is Ziiiva, the boss man told me to stay with you tonight, so fine or not I'm bunking with you" Trying to keep the mood light he finished by giving her a dazzling smile.

Sensing she wasn't going to win this battle, she sighed and turned the key in the lock. As much as Tony's presence was usually a comfort, today hadn't just been a bad day, it had been so much worse. All Ziva wanted to do was fall into bed and forget about it for a while.

When she walked into her kitchen the overpowering bleach smell burnt the back of her throat, and made her stop to survey the damage. Everything had been cleaned within an inch of its life and it was tidy considering what had taken place not 24 hours before. But it did not feel like her kitchen, things had been moved about or taken away and were not in their usual place. It was unsettling to say the least but she took a moment to compose herself, pointedly ignoring the spot on the floor where the blood stained carpet had been removed. She would not fall apart in front of Tony. It was not an option if she wished to have a quiet night.

Tony, sensing her unease walked past her rubbing his stomach "Well I don't know about you Zi, but I'm famished! Shall we order up? I'm thinking Pizza"

He received a completely dejected reply. Her head was hung heavily on her shoulders, her hands wringing together she tried to walk past Tony to her bedroom. "Have whatever you want Tony, I'm just going to go to bed"

He expected Ziva to at least argue with him about staying the night but she just didn't seem to be bothered. He was near enough on the boil and having trouble controlling his temper, he wanted her to scream and shout – punch things like the normal Ziva would, he couldn't' take it anymore.

"Are you serious Ziva, give me something here!"

"What?" She sounded genuinely confused "What do you mean?"

"All day you've just stood there and taken everything that's been thrown at you, anyone else would have had a mental break down by now."

"Tony…" There was a definite tone of warning in her voice, she did not want to be pushed, not tonight. But Tony was not giving up.

"No. Where's your fire Ziva? Why aren't you angry? I am!"

This had really got her attention and almost immediately Tony could feel the anger he'd been waiting for bubble up. "You think I'm not _angry_ Tony."

"Well, it doesn't seem like it to me."

This was the last straw for Ziva, and flinging her arms open she raised her voice "I am trying, today has be hell for me! How could you even begin to think that I'm not angry? I cannot believe you. You of all people Tony, I thought that you would understand. I cut all ties with Mossad, that is not my life now. When I tried to fight back Achim told me that I could never win, because he had taught me everything that I know, and it is true. I thought of him as a father for many years only to find that he wasn't different at all. Why do you think it's so hard for me to trust people huh?"

"Zi…" Tony attempted to interrupt, but she was not finished.

"No! Tony, you started it. You are not the one who had to kill a man you once thought of as a father. You did not have to strip naked in front of Ducky and be examined. _You_ did not have see yourself being raped multiple times by men you trusted with your friends watching over your shoulder. Did you see McGee, he looked like he'd wet his pants, how do you think he's going to look me in the eye when I walk back into that office? Hum? And Gibbs, he'll be constantly assessing me when he thinks I'm not looking. Abby will be scared to leave me alone which means she'll smother me. I love Ducky, but I cannot stand the way he looks at me as if he can see what I'm thinking. My _friends_ Tony, they'll never look at me in the same way, and that is the most difficult thing, and for what? Achim's dead. I killed the bastard, there was no threat, not anymore."

"What about me?" Tony asked quietly…

"What?" Ziva's mind was still running a mile and minute.

"Would I smother you, follow you around? What would I do Zi…?"

"Tony…"

"I'll tell you what I'll do, I am going to be here with you, if you want me to or not. I'm going to watch you like a fucking hawk because I need to know you're safe." Tony was standing very close to Ziva and he was breathing heavily with the effort of controlling his temper. Although he knew his anger was misdirected, he was mad with the situation, not her. "I am your partner, I'm watching your six Zi, and the best way for me to do that is to be right. Here."

The emotions and adrenaline that had been running through her for the last few hours caught up with Ziva, she felt like she'd had the plug pulled. For once his alpha male behaviour had actually done something other than made her feel annoyed. She was still angry, confused, frustrated and mad as hell. But at this moment, she felt safe. And that was worth something, it was worth an awful lot to Ziva.

It was at this moment that Tony opened his arms tentatively, and without any hesitation she barrelled into his chest with some force. He breathed in the scent of her hair as he held her thanking whatever God was listening that she was able to get it all off her chest. So they could begin to move forward.

_BOOM. So, I had to start on my dissertation this week, hence the slow update, I'm not sure if I'll do another chapter to this or not, there's potential but I might just leave it here. Let me know if you have strong feelings either way haha! _

_As ever, thanks for reading! :) _


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